Boulder Weekly, Nov. 21-27, 2002.

Rocky Flats, a cold-war nuclear weapon facility a few miles south of Boulder will be transformed in a wildlife refuge in 2006. The cleansing of the site is a big issue: Plutonium, the contaminant of principal concern, remains radioactive for more than 250,000 years. Soils as deep as three feet will be removed but some plutonium will remain. The level of the remaining plutonium has been calculated on the presumption that an individual drinking 2 liters of water from the site, each day for 30 years will develop a 1/1,000,000 chance of an excess cancer risk. Opponents say that in a few thousand years, after fences fall and memory fades, farmers or families that eat homegrown food will likely occupy the site and their safety requires a better cleanup.